Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
by Huffleton Puffleton
Summary: No one is a Gryffindor AU (or something like that). Emily just wants to learn more about magic. Jo just coasts along. Lieselotte is out to conquer, so to speak, but even she's caught up in the ridiculous drama. How in the world do three perfectly reasonable girls end up in this mess? Well, hormones, of course. That, and ridiculously dramatic boys.
1. Introductions (AKA Info Overload)

_Hi! I'm writing this fic just for fun over break, so really, this is a shitty first draft I was too lazy to edit :| Buuuut, it does get better, and I really hope you guys like this, since I plan on just having fun with it :) _

**Introduction/s (AKA Caution: Information Overload)**

Emily Villareal, Jordan Sharma, and Lieselotte Wang were childhood friends. Emily and Jo were cousins, and Lies was their only other magical neighbour, so no matter that her home was a long bicycle ride away, they visited.

They met at kindergarten. Jo's pureblood mother thought the idea of education supervised by child development experts well before 11 was superb. Her muggle husband agreed, so off to kindergarten they sent their three daughters (Charlie, Jo, and Cameron) to wreak havoc with their uncontrollable abilities. Emily's mother, a muggle-born witch, agreed with her sister-in-law, and similarly, unleashed Emily and her three brothers (Danny, Stephen, and Andy) unto the unsuspecting faculty.

Lies was an only child to a young muggle woman who had no idea what to do about her accident prone daughter. She just couldn't understand how Lies could dye the class hamster bright purple. But the Villareal's and the Sharma's were neighbourly folk, apparently, because when Emily and Jo came home with stories of purple hamsters and classmates' socks catching fire after colouring all over Lies' storybook, they came right over with cakes and pastries.

Emily, Jo, and Lies were an unlikely group. Friends due to circumstance, though the three developed similar interests, inside jokes, and a close bond, they were very different. Where Jo studied minimally and only when her parents insisted, and Lies studied to excel, Emily studied to learn. Boisterous Emily was always excited over something; insatiably curious, and interested in everything. Nothing, thought Emily, felt better than finally understanding something that used to be a mystery. Outside of class, she used her imaginative mind to create new games for her friends, but in class she was quiet as a mouse, at least until she had a question.

That's not to say Jo was lazy. Nonchalant and absentminded, most people assumed Jo just coasted along, but those who knew her well knew better. Good-humoured, good-natured Jo who laughed at herself and fretted over her friends had a fiery temper and a stubborn streak. Lies argued to win, and Emily argued to debate, but Jo, who hated conflict, only argued to defend what she felt was right. She daydreamed in class, drawing up maps with dragons and haunted castles, so they could go adventuring during recess.

But if you asked people which girl was the fiery one, they would answer Lieselotte. Before Jo and Emily, Lies couldn't understand what she was doing wrong. Why was it that she could turn the pavement into sludge, but her mother couldn't? Was it something only kids could do? But the girl next door had screamed when Lies turned the withered flowers on their hedges into blossoming roses. When Lies found out she and her best friends were magic, the uncertainty went away, and a whole new world opened up to her.

She was a remarkably self-possessed and responsible child, like most only children. While Emily and Jo were caught up in their thoughts, Lieselotte was more pragmatic. Even at a young age, she was the leader of the bunch. Emily made the games, and Jo made the maps, but Lies played the lead roles and headed the expeditions. She was out-going and charismatic, so she had many friends, but while she loved to joke around and have fun, she focused her efforts on improving herself for the day she could finally immerse herself in the Wizarding world…which finally arrived her eleventh year.

* * *

><p>Emily, Jo, and Lies had been to Diagon Alley before. Danny was an incoming 6th year Gryffindor, and had been buying his school things at Diagon Alley for the past five years. Charlie (Charlotte, she was insisting, that year) was an incoming 3rd year Hufflepuff, and had been visiting Diagon Alley for two years, cousins, siblings, and Lies in tow. And anyway, the girls insisted on coming along whenever Emily and Jo's parents needed to shop for anything magical. But this year was different. They'd be shopping for their own school things, fitting their own school robes, and most important of all, getting their own wands.<p>

"Let's do this," Jo breathed out, her large brown eyes further widening in anticipation as the girls stood outside the wand shop. Behind them, their parents waited expectantly. Danny, with Stephen tagging along, had gone to buy his own things. Charlie had disappeared with a group of Hufflepuff girls as soon as they'd arrived. Still, neither party left without weaselling extra pocket money out of their parents first.

The parents, Lies' mom included, were just as excited about the wands as their children. They grinned encouragingly, the magical once reminiscing about being chosen by their own wands. Cam and Andy fidgeted impatiently. Cam would have to wait two more years for her wand, and Andy would have to wait for three years. Neither was very interested in their sisters' future wands, but both were quite interested in the sweet shop across the street.

"It's alright to be nervous," Jo's dad said, ruffling her already messy mane of long brown hair. She hadn't inherited her mom's blonde tresses, or her father's manageable straight hair. Instead, she had a combination of the worst traits of either: the unruly tangle of her mother's curls, and the plain brown of her father's locks. Perhaps this was because lucky Charlie had all the straight blonde hair genes, and had left none for herself and Cam. But all was fair in the world whenever Charlie turned scarlet under the sun and stung all over from sunburn, while she and Cam would just turn a shade of brown darker.

"Merlin, I remember when the second wand I tried nearly singed my eyebrows off!" exclaimed Emily's father. His sister, Jo's mom, rolled her eyes at him.

"Cassie, you're exaggerating," she said, though she was grinning. Emily's father gave an exaggerated gasp and pretended to be offended.

"Una, you dare use that nickname in front of my children?" he clasped a hand to his chest. Emily grinned as her friends chuckled along with the adults. It was an old joke Jo's mom and Emily's dad, Cassius Villareal, loved to play out. Apparently, Una Sharma nee Villareal used to call her brother Cassie to get a rise out of him. Emily appreciated them bringing it up to ease the girls' nervousness.

"Alright, come on, it's not that bad," Emily's mom said.

"Easy for you to say, you were chosen by the first wand handed to you!" Cassius interjected. "Listen, girls, make sure to wave the wand at something really far away from you, then duck!" The girls giggled nervously, though they noticed that no one contradicted the advice.

Cassius Villareal bore an uncanny resemblance to Gomez Addams from the Addams Family cartoons. It wasn't just the slicked black hair, and the dark circles under his eyes that he'd probably been born with, he also insisted on wearing fancy muggle suits wherever he went, and had a well-groomed moustache. Sometimes Emily wondered why people said they looked alike. Then again, she had the same black eyes, the same dark waves of hair, and the very same ashen olive skin, which altogether made her look quite frightening sometimes. Her brothers, on the other hand, had her mother's straight black hair and fair skin.

"It's not…really that dangerous, is it?" Lies' mom asked. She laughed it off, but the others could sense her uncertainty.

"Well, it really depends," admitted Emily's mother, shrugging her shoulders apologetically.

"It's the law, though. And anyway, the wands will help them control their magic, so I suppose it's a necessary risk," reasoned Jo's father. He was still quite new to everything, despite Charlie being on her third year at Hogwarts, but he also shrugged nonchalantly. The chance of disaster, he supposed, were quite slim.

"It is pretty exciting," Lies' mom finally conceded. She was fairly open-minded and loved new things, which was perfect for a single muggle mother to a young witch. She and Lies were very close, and did everything together. She was more than nervous about sending her daughter away for school.

Lies and her mother were carbon copies of each other. They had the same straight black hair, dark narrow eyes, and pale, freckled skin. They talked like each other, smiled like each other, and laughed like each other. One would wonder if Lies had a father at all.

All three girls finally entered the shop hand in hand. Lies went first and was handed a wand that fizzed and sparked skittishly at first contact. By her fourth try, the wandmaker made sure to stand behind her, and then slide a good distance away as Lies waved the wand. The wand tip began to glow white and the room began smelling of Lies' mother's perfume, homemade biscuits, and fabric softener. It was the perfect wand: restless and haughty.

Jo wanted to go next, but noticed Emily bouncing on her toes excitedly, though Emily didn't so much as give a peep. It took a while to decide who would go next as both girls began an awkward dance of "it's okay, you go first" "no, you" "no, it's alright". Finally, Emily conceded and was handed her first wand. She gave a wave, and black sludge began oozing out of the corners of the room. The wandmaker sighed like he'd seen worse (which was true) and with the wave of a wand the ooze disappeared. The next wand was perfect. It zapped the wandmaker's wayward office supplies into order and also balanced the open ledger on his table. The wand fit: flexible and daring.

Finally, it was Jo's turn. It took her three tries and several breeds of dog, but finally the wandmaker handed her just the right one. She aimed for the umbrella at the far end of the shop, and immediately it grew a pair of hairy legs with knobby knees. The umbrella began to dance to the tune of Ragtime Gal that started playing out of nowhere. The girls laughed, and the wandmaker clapped his hands, telling them that this was why he chose to sell wands, knowing the risks. Jo's wand was the perfect fit: bright and adventurous.

* * *

><p>It was impossible to travel with thirteen people, eight of whom are kids, and expect to get there right on time. As a result, the Villareal-Sharma-Wang contingent made it to Platform 9 and ¾ barely on time to load Danny and the girls onto the train, waving goodbye. Inside the train, Danny and Charlie went their separate ways to reunite with friends, leaving the girls to find their own compartment. The three shuffled down the train as it began to move, checking into full compartment after full compartment, until they reached the very last one.<p>

"There's only one person in there," said Lies who, as usual, was at the head of the group and was peering into their last hope at not having to be the first years who spent the ride to Hogwarts sitting along the aisle.

"Ask them if they mind sharing," said Jo, leaning over Emily to look into the compartment as well.

"He better not or I'm going to throw a fit…at him," grumbled Lies as she knocked on the compartment door to get the boy's attention. He was sitting at the very end seat in the compartment to the right of the door. He was facing the window with his back to them, and all the girls could see was the back of his pale blond head. At the sudden noise, the boy jerked upright and stared in surprise at the girls standing behind the compartment door. Lies slid the door open.

"D'you mind if we sit here? There's no space for all three of us together anywhere else," asked Lies.

The boy glanced at their heavy-looking luggage, and decided he had no choice. Anyway, they didn't seem to recognize him, or else they probably wouldn't have asked to sit with him. "It's alright", he said.

The girls entered the compartment, shoving their bags onto the shelf at the top. The boy got up to help, though he hung back awkwardly when they signalled he wasn't needed. The odd group sat down, the boy where he was seated before and the girls across from him. Emily sat by the door, watching the people milling about outside and waiting for the snack trolley to make its way to the back of the train. Lies sat in the middle, flipping through the latest issue of Witch Weekly. She collected issues of the magazine, which she saw as her one constant link to Wizarding society and culture, at least until Hogwarts. Jo was left to sit across from the boy. She was susceptible to motion sickness and needed a window seat so she wouldn't feel so confined, and could get some fresh air when needed. She watched the sullen boy across from her curiously.

"Are you a first year too?" she asked him. He nodded, then seemed to think better and cleared his throat with a cough.

"Yes," he replied hesitantly.

"I'm Jo Sharma, these are Lies Wang and Emily Villareal," she said, gesturing to each girl. Now they were all watching him expectantly.

"S-Scorpius…Malfoy" he said, voice growing soft at the last part. An uncomfortable silence settled in the compartment, and Scorpius was worried they now realized who he was, and regretted deciding to sit with him. Perhaps they'd prefer the aisle outside after all.

"What house do you want to be in?" asked Jo after a while. Scorpius glanced up at her in surprise. There was no indication on her face that she was repelled by him, only genuine curiosity regarding her question.

"My father might want me in Slytherin. I don't know. My mother was a Ravenclaw"

"My mother was a Ravenclaw too," Jo replied, smiling, "but my father's a muggle, so I don't know what house he'd be in", Scorpius was inwardly stunned at the matter-of-fact tone of her voice, and how no one else seemed as surprised as him. "My sister's a Hufflepuff, though, and she says everyone's nice there. Her friends seem nice too, so maybe that…" Jo trailed off as she thought this through.

"I'd like to be in Gryffindor," Lies interjected.

"That's just 'cause the most famous witches and wizards you read about in your magazines are from Gryffindor," Emily said, frowning at Lies, who only grinned and shrugged. "But Gryffindor does sound nice. Mum and dad were Gryffindors. I think I'd fit in better with Ravenclaw though."

"Of course you would", said Lies, and she and Jo grinned knowingly at Emily who only rolled her eyes. Scorpius watched the three conversing easily and wondered if this was what it was like to have siblings.

The train ride passed in the same fashion. The girls would alternate between comfortable silences and short bursts of conversation with Scorpius occasionally speaking up when he was asked a question. Soon they were riding the boats over the Lake in awed silence. Then it was time to be sorted.

Jo was not at all surprised to find herself in Hufflepuff, though Scorpius and a self-conscious Albus Potter both were. She took a seat beside her sister, who squealed and hugged her tight before introducing her to the other Hufflepuffs. The seat she chose placed her across from Scorp and beside Al, and as though they'd known each other forever, she introduced herself and Scorpius to a lost-looking Albus.

Emily's turn came after Jo, and absolutely no one who knew her was surprised she was in Ravenclaw. Her brother, Danny's, friends, however, seemed quite surprised he could have a sibling in Ravenclaw. She took a seat and immediately received warm congratulations.

No one was more surprised than Lies when she got Slytherin. Her eyes widened in fear for just a split second. Slytherin was not the house it used to be. A muggle-born could be safe in those dungeons now. After all, this proved only one thing: the Sorting Hat believed Lies had talent, and that was certainly necessary for ambition. Calming herself down, Lies made her way to the Slytherin table where her glance fell not-so-accidentally onto a charming second year named James Potter. She knew of him and his famous family from countless issues of Witch Weekly. Perhaps they could be friends, she thought. The moment the unruly-haired nuisance opened his mouth, Lies knew it wasn't to be.

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><p><em>Okay, now that everything's established (more or less), we can proceed to the story, where there's a little less info overload and everything's actually been edited! :) Thank you for reading. I'm uploading the intro and first three chapters now, but if you like it, please tell me, and I'll continue uploading. Thanks!<em>


	2. Jo

**The Fatal Flaw in the Funny Female**

_5th Year (the Week Following Christmas Break)_

Jo made her way to the only other cauldron in the empty potions classroom and plopped her bag down on the floor. Without missing a beat, the tall blond boy whipped his head toward her, pale blue eyes narrowed.

"Napoleon was afraid of cats," he said it like a challenge, a tiny smirk playing across his lips.

"Why do people want to clone themselves?" replied Jo. She smiled menacingly at him, hands on her hips.

"Why?" he asked, frowning. Perhaps he wouldn't win this one after all.

"So they won't be…_clonely_" she replied, raising the pitch of her voice at the last word. She covered her amused smile with a hand.

"_No_," the boy replied in disbelief. Contradicting emotions flashed across his face: amusement and disgust at the horrendous pun. "You win this round, Sharma." Jo let out a delighted cackle as Scorpius shook his head. The routine greetings over and done with, the two set about working as Jo checked Scorpius' cauldron and corrected his mistakes.

Jo had been Scorp's potions tutor since second year when, after gaining a reputation as being surprisingly terrible at potions, Scorpius finally sent his seatmate to the hospital wing. He was absolutely horrible at potions, and Jo was surprised to find she had a knack for it, so Slughorn moved her beside Scorp to help him out (much to her original seatmate's chagrin). Ever since the new arrangement, she'd been helping him out and he'd been doing better. That is, he wasn't causing life-threatening accidents every time they had to brew something. So they were paired in every potions class, Jo gladly helped her friend with his homework, and Hogwarts was all the safer.

"Hi," Scorp said suddenly after a long silence. Jo had been watching him stir the mixture, making sure he rotated the appropriate number of times and in the proper direction.

"Huh? Oh, hi," she said, smiling up at him sleepily. She'd been staring far too fixedly at the contents of the cauldron, her eyelids drooping threateningly. It was about midnight. Jo had to study for a quiz the next day and work on a paper, so they couldn't meet up until then. Scorp had asked for extra help for the next potion they'd have to brew. The instructions were too specific, and yet some parts were vague. The whole thing was altogether contradictory and impossible to understand, and yet Jo had gotten it in one glance.

"Sorry," he said under his breath as she began to teeter dangerously towards the bubbling mixture.

"It's fine. I actually _like _potions, remember?" she said, straightening up, opening her eyes wide in an effort to keep awake, and smiling up at him. In a few years, the gap in their height had only increased, perhaps because Scorpius was only growing quicker, while Jo's growth seemed to slow down. This was useful for the rare occasion Jo needed to hide behind someone, in which case Scorpius was the best option because of his height and wide back. Jo was startled out of her thoughts. Scorpius was calling her name, and she blushed just the slightest bit as she realized she'd been thinking too often lately of his broad back, and his face when he was focused on something, and the softness of his hair, and how smiles only every danced or played across his lips, never lingering…

"Jo?" Scorp asked again, peering into her face, looking concerned. Jo shook the intrusive thoughts out of her head. It was normal to observe how one's friend had grown over the years, wasn't it?

"Just tired," she replied, which was true, in any case, and maybe did have some part in the frequency of her Scorpius-driven daydreams. "That's…not good," Jo said, looking into the green-brown sludge that was beginning to go crusty inside Scorpius' cauldron. The boy groaned in frustration and ruffled his hair with both hands, getting bits of ingredients stuck to it. Jo attempted to pull the ladle out of the quickly hardening concoction, gave up, and dusted the flecks of ingredients off of Scorpius' hair as he obediently leaned down towards her.

"Alright, I'm sorry, we should go back. I'll manage somehow in class, and you can still help me out then. I'm just sorry you had to stay up for nothing," Scorpius sighed, straightening back up.

"Stop apologising," Jo insisted, punching his upper arm. "I'm just glad the dungeons aren't too far from the Hufflepuff dorms." They packed up their belongings, cleared everything away, and started the long walk back.

"I don't understand. Do we chop it or crush it? It doesn't make sense," Scorpius was whispering in the eerie dark of the corridors. Jo watched him in amusement. She'd told him before that instructions sometimes varied for potions. Potions masters usually did things in different ways, depending on style and preference, so there was no need to stick so closely to the book, but this only frustrated him more.

"Dice it. I think it works better that way. Crush it and you lose most of the juices, chop it up and the pieces are too big," Jo replied, swinging her arms as she walked. Scorpius marvelled at how the cold creepiness of the place never seemed to bother her. Nothing ever seemed to bother her.

"Five sickles Al's still out with Emily," said Scorpius, eyeing the short girl from the corner of his eye.

"You're on," she said, grinning. "Emily's persistent, but she wouldn't keep him out too late."

"Easiest five sickles I've ever made," Scorpius said airily.

It was remarkable how the boy had changed since first year. He'd started out sullen and hesitant, and had kept mostly to himself. Though, in the first place, hardly anyone would talk to him. But Hufflepuff was an easy-going house, and people were quick to warm up to others, and he'd soon found he was surrounded by friends. No one watched him warily from the corners of their eyes, and no one whispered about his family when they thought he couldn't hear. Well, every year there would always be curious first years, but the dorms were safe, he decided.

And there was Jo. At first he thought she'd befriended him because she didn't know anyone else in Hufflepuff, but he was quickly proven wrong. Time and time again, Jo's sister's friends would walk by and wave or ruffle her hair playfully. Jo sometimes kept to herself, like him, but she made friends quickly and easily, and why not? Scorpius would tell himself. What's not to like? And soon enough, she introduced him to the boy who would be his first best friend.

Albus, like Scorp, also kept to himself. Scorp imagined he faced a similar problem with curious first years. As time passed, they started to feel easier around one another, especially when Jo was around to keep the conversation going. A few years and several awkward mishaps later, the two were inseparable, which was why Scorp was glad for Emily, who'd round Albus up once in a while, allowing him and Jo to be alone together. Scorp loved Al, but Jo was just…something else, and Al was too perceptive to have around while he was off guard with Jo. Now, at Hogwarts at least, Scorp felt lighter. He'd laugh and smile easier, and he'd even joke around. He had friends. He had _best _friends. He felt he could breathe.

As they rounded a familiar corner that signalled they were nearing the dorms, Jo seemed to go uneasy. She'd been humming absently just a moment ago, but she'd suddenly stopped. She was frowning at her feet as she walked. Scorpius could tell she wanted to say something.

"Scorp…", Jo began when they neared the stack of barrels marking the entrance to the Hufflepuff dormitory, "Casper Larkin, he-", Scorp realized she was sniffling, and a surprising feeling of anger at Casper Larkin welled up in him.

"What did he do?" Scorp asked, reigning in the anger. He was practiced at covering things up like that.

"He asked me…" Scorp's heart seized for a split second, "about Charlie, about what sort of boys she liked." Immediately, Scorpius' face softened. Casper was a seventh year Gryffindor Jo had fancied for months. He was smart, athletic, and easy-going. It was no surprise. It was also no surprise that Casper Larkin would fancy Charlie Sharma, who was just as smart, athletic, and easy-going, though perhaps more popular. Perhaps Casper hadn't even realized Jo fancied him. As far as Scorp had observed, she'd never let on about it in public.

"Charlie fancies him too," said Jo. "She told me so herself, when I told her how Casper'd asked."

"Jo…" Scorp said. They were right in front of the entrance now. He wanted to console her, but didn't know how.

"Just…come over here," she motioned for him to come closer, laughing at herself, despite the tears welling up in her eyes. She pressed her face into his shoulder and held onto him for dear life as small sobs shook her shoulders. Scorpius rubbed her back comfortingly, trying to quell the happy surprise making his stomach flutter. First priority: "It's alright, Jo. Plenty of fish in the sea and all that," he said awkwardly.

"But…Casper Larkin…" she mumbled between sobs, "was the boy equivalent of a dolphin!" Scorp choked down the surprised guffaw, making him cough. "And it had to be Charlie. She's, like, the girl equivalent of a dolphin." Scorp thought about how to respond to that. That Jo was the girl equivalent of a narwhal? She'd punch him in the gut.

After a while, Jo extracted herself from him, wiping her eyes and nose. She took a deep breath, shook the life back into herself, and exhaled determinedly. "Sorry, I messed up your shirt," she gave him a tentative smile to let him know she was going to be okay.

"It's alright, I'm going to bed soon, anyway," he smiled back, ruffling her hair, which she hated. She furrowed her brow at him, though she was still smiling.

"If you tell anyone about this, especially Al and the girls, I'm going to set your favourite comfy socks on fire," she threatened.

"Got it, trust me, I would not sic Al and your crazy childhood friends on some unsuspecting boy," Scorp imagined Lies Wang leaving the poor Gryffindor hanging from his underpants in the Great Hall.

"Now, come on," she entered the Hufflepuff common room, Scorpius trailing behind her. "Five sickles," she announced as soon as they saw Al passed out on one of the cozy couches. Scorp cursed under his breath.

"I haven't got any money on me right now. Hold on," Scorp made his way to the boys' dorm, ducking low. The only problems with the otherwise warm and hospitable dorm were the ridiculously low ceilings and door frames.

"Al, you'll wake up with a back ache," Jo said, patting Al's cheek to wake him up.

"Shut it, Em, I'm dead right now," the brunet mumbled, swatting Jo's hand away. He huddled deeper into the couch, letting his glasses slip lower on his nose.

"Al, its Jo, just move to your bed, Al," Jo tried again, shaking the boy's shoulders. "These bloody tall boys," Jo grunted, trying to pull Al to his feet. Scorp laughed when he saw her, struggling to support a boy much taller and heavier than her.

"Here," he handed her the five sickles and took Al from her. "Em kept you out late, huh?" he asked Al who only grunted menacingly at the mention of Emily's name. Scorp bent low, balancing Al on his back while Jo supported the other boy. The trio shuffled awkwardly into the boys' dorm. The other students weren't surprised, and Scorpius guessed Jo and Al's antics were what made people finally believe he wasn't the least bit threatening. They certainly were an odd sight: Al, lopsided on a struggling, red-faced Scorpius' back, Jo shuffling clumsily behind them, holding up Al's butt.

They finally rolled Al onto his bed beside Scorpius'. The blond flexed backwards like an old man, and Jo watched him, wondering since when he could lift someone onto his back like that.

"I'll walk you," Scorpius said, all seriousness as he straightened back up.

"Thanks, but I think I'll survive the walk through the common room on my own just fine," she teased, looking up at him like he'd just morphed a second nose. He rolled his eyes, mostly as an excuse to break eye contact.

"Come on, then," Jo conceded. She didn't really mind him tagging along if he really wanted to.

"Jo!" cried Charlie as soon as her sister exited to the common room. "I hear Dom and Lies are throwing another party next Hogsmeade weekend!"

"I know! Are you going with friends?" Jo replied, moving to the side as Scorpius exited as well.

"I think so," Charlie shrugged. She'd been on her way to bed when she saw Jo, and was making her way inside then. "Well, I gotta go. Goodnight!"

"'Night," Jo called after her, walking to the door after her sister disappeared. As soon as she was sure the coast was clear, she spun around to face Scorpius. "It wasn't a big thing, okay? The thing a while ago, outside. I just…had to get it out. Thank you, though, for being there."

"I understand. It's alright," and Scorpius did understand. Jo fancied Larkin, but she would be happy for her sister. It was Scorp's job, and all of Jo's other friends', to make sure she wouldn't think it was because she couldn't measure up to Charlie, he concluded.

"Goodnight"

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><p><em>Thank you for reading, please leave a review!<em>


	3. Lies

**The Devilish Demigoddess in the Dungeons**

_3rd Year_

James peered around the corner of Scrivenshaft's hoping to find Dominique. She was the only other Slytherin Weasley, and the two had always been close. A few minutes back, she'd seen Dom's friend, Lieselotte Wang, round the corner, so he'd thought to ask her where Dom was. He completely missed the fact that the turn at the corner only led to a secluded back alley. James Sirius Potter was not the most perceptive of people.

"Hi mum, yeah, I'm alright. I'm having fun," James heard the girl say as she tried to hide her sniffling. Immediately alarm bells started ringing. This girl was clearly crazy, talking to her "mum" by herself in some shady back alley.

"No, no, I miss you too. I miss you too, mum. How are you?" Lies continued. "That's good."

James wondered what he ought to do. If he stayed, he'd be risking life and limb, probably, but his curiosity was burning, and perhaps he might finally have something over this girl's head.

Ever since her first year, she'd been finding every opportunity to embarrass him in front of everyone, and James could not stand having his image tarnished. Never mind that he'd usually be the one provoking her. He'd only wanted to befriend her with some light, chummy teasing. Still, he had to admit, he'd been itching for a sparring partner anyway. Fred and Dom, the traitors, always laughed along, saying it was a taste of his own medicine.

"James, there you are!" the aforementioned traitors were waving at him, gesturing to the sweet shop across the street. He waved at them, fully intending to follow, but as the pair turned away, he felt a strong tug at the back of his collar.

"Spying on me, Potter? That's low, even for you," he'd been pulled behind the corner and now faced a very angry Lieselotte.

"Don't flatter yourself," he said, dusting himself off and barely glancing at the avenging fury in front of him. "What's that?" In the process of looking up from his clothes, he'd spotted a small shiny object clasped inside Lies' left hand.

"What did you hear?" Lies demanded. Realization flashed across the older boy's features, and his hands flew to his shock of dark hair.

"Is that a cellular phone?!" he whispered harshly. Sometimes, James Potter was smart.

"If you tell anyone-"

"You were calling your mum!"

"-I will cut you. My friends will cut you-"

"You were calling your mum on a cellular phone!"

"You will be unrecognizable to your-"

"You brought a cellular phone into Hogwarts because you knew you could use it to call your mum during trips to Hogsmeade! That's ingenious!"

"Yes, Potter, it's a mobile, and no, it's not ingenious. All the muggle-borns do it," Lies gave up threatening the oblivious boy, and rolled her eyes.

"D'you have games?" he asked her, all contempt for the girl lost.

"Er, yeah, I've got a few," she watched him in confusion, her button nose screwing up.

"Have you got the flippy bird?"

"The wha-? I thought your father was raised by muggles?" she stuffed the phone inside one of her pockets and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, but we don't need phones, we've got…tons of other magical stuff," James shrugged absently.

"Yes, I have Flappy Bird. No, you can't play it," she spun around to leave, then hesitated and turned back, "If you knew, you'd thank me. That bird is the curse of the devil." James stared in awe at the short girl, realizing newfound respect.

* * *

><p><em>Fifth Year<em>

"We're in need of your assistance," began the older student as he and James took the seats across from Lies. He was a Gryffindor, but due to one particular similar hobby, Fred Weasley II and James Sirius Potter were especially close. That particular hobby happened to be general mischief, which Lieselotte Wang knew was what they needed her help for.

"You'll have to be more specific," she said, looking up from her Transfigurations textbook. She levelled a cool gaze at the pair, leaning back into the dark leather sofa that she loved because it made her feel like a mafia boss. The flickering green glow of the torches lighting the Slytherin common room cast menacing shadows across her face. Freddie gulped, despite himself, but held his ground. James Potter remained unfazed.

"Lieselotte," he began in a placating tone, charming grin always at the ready. "What we need, only a _select _few can get their hands on, and of these _exclusive _few, only _you_ could achieve the best results."

"Save it for your adoring public, Potter," Lies sighed. When James'd stopped provoking her wrath in public, she thought she'd finally have some peace and quiet to conduct her...affairs and focus on her academics, but oh was she so wrong. Potter had only graduated from annoying bickering to sickening, infuriating...attentions. He'd found the best way to annoy her was to try, and try blatantly, to ingratiate himself to her.

"We need you to get the key to the cupboard where Slughorn keeps his...special ingredients. You're in the Slugclub," Fred finally said. He'd been growing impatient, not one for careful tactics.

"I'm not the only one," she raised a carefully shaped eyebrow at the redhead.

"It'd be too obvious if one of his...er, more volatile ingredients went missing right after James borrows his key. We do have a reputation," Fred puffed out his chest.

"You're in the Slugclub, you're particularly...ah, persuasive, and quite good at escaping suspicion, am I right?" It was James' turn to raise an eyebrow, though he accompanied this with a knowing smile. At this, Lies closed her textbook, placed her hands on them, and crossed her legs. She would not be getting any studying done.

"A reliable source says you're behind the whole Quidditch betting ring," said James, eyes flashing in excitement.

"You need to study up on the word 'reliable', Potter. I'm afraid you're mistaken," she didn't even flinch. Fred watched the exchange carefully, thinking this was why he hated visiting James in the dungeons.

"Well, it _is_ part of my civic duty as a good student to report any leads to the Headmistress, now, isn't it?"

"Even the whole idea of a Quidditch betting ring is just rumours, Potter," she had to remain calm, but inside, Lies was seething. There was a Hogsmeade trip coming up, and she had a particular dress in mind to spend her share of earnings on. The betting pool had to be protected.

"Why don't I give you a very generous deal, yes?" he knew he had her. Just one more push. "Freddie and I keep this information to ourselves, _and _we tell you just who the little tattletale was, and you get us those keys. We'll only need them for a little while, ten minutes tops," Lies sighed.

"Throw in some old notes and test papers for the classes I'm taking-", she lifted a finger to silence James as he opened his mouth to speak again, "_Good _notes, neat ones, not your chicken scratch."

"Deal," said James, sticking a hand out. He'd have to find a way to ask for his friends' notes without looking suspicious. Not an easy task. Lies shook his hand and lightning ran up his arm.

"It was Lorenzo," said James, as he and Fred stood up to leave.

_Lorenzo_, Lies mulled this over. She liked the younger boy, though he did seem too eager to please. Oh well, he'd have to be dealt with, preferably in a manner that would send a message to other would-be tattlers. She'd have to make an example of him.

"Lies," James said, turning back to her, "I'm quite good at Transfigurations. If you need help-"

"I've got Emily," she interjected harshly, which made her feel bad, though she didn't know why. The boy had just blackmailed her...and yet he offered so nicely. "Thank you, though...for the offer," she added as an afterthought.

James walked away, but turned back again to watch her from across the room. She was going through her book again, and didn't notice him looking. He wondered if he should tell her about Matty. Mathieu Calasanz was technically James' superior, being the seventh year captain of the Slytherin quidditch team, where James played as Keeper. But this presented a unique opportunity for James to run reconnaissance on Lieselotte's boyfriend. He reasoned that he wasn't really spying. He couldn't help it if he was privy to the pig's disgusting locker room talk. James loved to joke around, everyone knew, and if joking made you king, the locker room would be his kingdom, but Matty Calasanz just didn't know when to stop. It's not that Lies' dignity was at stake. No one in their right mind would cross her, except perhaps her childhood friends, though he wouldn't be surprised if the two were crazy. You'd have to be to survive Lieselotte Wang. It was just the principle of it all, he decided. It wasn't just Lies, after all, it was a few other girls too, and James couldn't stand how Matty would talk about them, bragging and telling obscene jokes. Still, he'd suppress the urge to hex the brawny beater, but he was wondering now if he should tell Lies.

"Lieselotte!" James called out, striding closer to where she sat.

"What!" she shouted back, adamantly, not one to be outdone.

"I need to tell you something...in private," he said to her in a low voice, once he was by her side. She could sense his unusual seriousness. Immediately, she left her book and followed him out. They walked a ways, and then entered an empty potions classroom.

"What is it?" asked Lieselotte.

"Mathieu is my friend, but you deserve better," he began, then scolded himself for not thinking that sentence through. Lies only scoffed.

"Okay, no, time out," said James. He planted a hand on the wall beside him and stared into the middle distance, gathering his thoughts. Meanwhile, Lies gathered all her patience.

"Mathieu Calasanz is not a good person. I'm sorry, Lies," he studied her face, but she only stared back coldly. James forged on. "I know him. He talks about you and...and his other girls. He's an absolute prick."

"Matty is a seventh year," Lies said, "Next year, he will be nothing to the student body but an ex- captain who was popular at school. There will be a new captain, and there will be other popular boys, but this year, he is team captain, and he is a popular boy who is not only interested in me, but also _very _fit. I don't need to love him, Potter." James flushed. He thought he'd been doing her a favour, but she only seemed insulted.

"Thank you for thinking of my well-being," she said, finally softening, "but I know what I'm doing. I don't need your pity." James started. He wanted to tell her it wasn't out of pity, but she'd already gone.

Lies slipped into the nearest girl's lavatory and locked herself into the furthest cubicle. She took a coin out of her pocket and pointed her wand at it. It started heating up, alerting her friends that she needed them. Then, Lies allowed herself to sob quietly.

A while later, Lies heard someone enter the lavatory. She held her breath to still her sobs, rubbing madly at her eyes and cheeks, and running a handkerchief under her nose.

"Lies?" it was Emily who arrived first. "Lies, it's me."

"Em," Lies called out, surprised at how thick and hoarse her voice was. She unlocked the cubicle to let Emily in.

"Oh no, Lies, what happened?" Emily asked, pulling out her wand and clearing up Lies' face. She awkwardly held her arms out and was relieved when Lies accepted the invitation for a consoling hug.

"Matty's a prick, but I'm not breaking up with him," Lies confessed.

"Why not?" asked Emily, and Lies appreciated the complete lack of judgement.

"He's...he's part of the full package, you know?" said Lies, searching for the right words to explain. "And he's just using me, but who's to say I'm not using him? It's a status symbol thing, you understand?"

"What do you me-?" Emily was cut off by Jo's arrival. After another round of questions and consoling hugs, the two girls were finally up to speed.

"He's a git," agreed Jo. "Has he hurt you, done anything...you know...?"

"No! No, he's never forced himself on me, and maybe that's why...he has those other girls," said Lies, a little calmer then. "I mean, if he asked, I think I could do it, but he's never asked for anything...more. He will though, I know he will..," Lies trailed off, considering possibilities analytically.

"Lies, are you happy?" asked Jo.

"Yes," Lies answered, but she was lost in thought then, planning her next move. "Alright, fine, I will dump him, just as soon as he's of no use to me," Lies decided.

"When's that?" asked Emily.

"Right before we leave for summer break, I think. That's only a few months away," Lies' brain was working now, putting emotions aside and coming up with strategies. "Yes, too soon and Potter's massive head will grow to the size of the moon, and I'll never hear the end of it..."

"Wait, which Potter?" Emily asked.

"Lies' Potter, not yours," replied Jo nonchalantly, letting Lies use her as a backrest as they sat balanced on the toilet seat cover.

"Oh, of course," Emily nodded. "Wait, what's James Potter got to do with this?"


	4. Emily

**The Ardent Admirer Annoying Albus Potter**

_5th year (Valentine's Day)_

"I'm concerned you don't know that we're dating," Emily said all of a sudden. She and Al were in the library and she was helping him with History of Magic homework. The boy was a genius at spells and potions, but give him some names and dates to memorise and he was lost. Emily, on the other hand, absorbed the fascinating stories like Scorpius Malfoy absorbed a strawberry milkshake, which was very very quickly.

Al started at the statement, and stared with wide eyes at the girl across from him. Emily held her straight face for as long as she could, then burst into suppressed laughter lest Madame Pince shush them.

"I'm kidding, it's just that Lies and Jo both decided we do a group All-Out Boy Ban, considering recent events, and I was wondering if you counted," Emily explained.

"As a boy? Well, I hope so..."

"You know what I mean," Emily said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

><p><em>3rd Year<em>

Emily had an older brother five years her senior and two younger brothers. Of the four siblings, only one was not head-over-heels in love with Quidditch...and it was the youngest, Andy. Emily, like her two other brothers, grew up mad for the sport, often driving their muggle neighbours insane with unidentified flying objects crashing into living room windows, and then whizzing back out again. In the space of three years, Emily joined the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as Chaser, and all anyone could say about it was: "What took you so long?" That's not to say Emily was especially talented at the sport, in fact, before Albus and the careful training of the Ravenclaw captain, Emily was average at best. She was just very very persistent.

As it so happened, the day Emily first began testing the patience of the famous Albus Severus Potter was the day she'd set out to practise for tryouts. Al, who loved Quidditch, but purportedly, not enough to join his house team, had succeeded at pestering a reluctant Scorpius Malfoy into playing a one-on-one game with him. Emily was just about to ask them if she could borrow half the pitch, or perhaps play with them, when Al swooped into several complicated motions, completely out-manoeuvring Scorpius, who was barely keeping up to begin with.

"Alright, alright! That was the last one!" Al called out, laughing at a dejected Scorpius who'd flown off to gather the Quaffle.

"You!", he suddenly heard from beneath his low-hovering broom. "You were amazing!"

"Wha-?", the thirteen-year-old Albus Potter had yet to work on being eloquent even with his blushing face.

"You went 'swoosh', and then 'shweew!", Emily was also usually eloquent, but when she got too excited, she sometimes forgot that words were supposed to help other people understand what you meant. Right then, she was relying on her flapping arms to communicate how amazing she thought Al's manoeuvre was.

"Oh, thanks," Al said, descending to ground level, and then getting off his broom. Behind him, Scorpius was returning the Quaffle into the chest of Quidditch things.

"Could you teach me?" Emily asked, eyes shining.

"That move?"

"And everything else you know! What else can you do?" demanded Emily, completely unaware that Al was now beet red.

"I-I don't know. I'm-I don't-"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Of course, you don't even know me. I'm Emily Villareal. I'm a third year Ravenclaw."

"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts together!" Scorpius called out from behind Al, where he was struggling with a naughty Bludger trying to get away from its bindings. Al realized he recognized Emily.

"You're the one who asks all the questions," he said coolly, having regained his composure.

"And of course, you're Albus Potter, and he's Scorpius Malfoy," for a second, Al was ready to be disappointed that Emily would be just like some of those people who saw him as That Younger Potter Son. He'd been thinking that until Emily continued: "Jo's friends."

"Jo. Yeah," Al said, nodding and barely hiding his surprise.

"Will you help me practise for tryouts?" Emily persisted.

"I'm not very good"

"No, you're not very good, you're _extremely _good"

"Please, I-"

"Albus, please?" Al started at the familiar way he said her name.

"There's a reason I'm not on the Hufflepuff team," he warned.

"Because you won't tryout?" Emily asked the question earnestly, but Scorpius snorted from where he was sitting on top of the rattling chest.

"No, it's because I'm not good enough," Al said. Under his breath, he mumbled: "to beat Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" asked Emily, then she put two and two together, and because Emily was a Ravenclaw, she devised a clever plan. "What's your absolute worst subject?"

"What? History of Magic? Maybe Care of Magical Creatures? I've got a feeling animals don't like me very much," replied Al, wondering where this was headed.

"Both. You're terrible at both. And maybe Divination," interjected Scorpius. He would've joined them, but he was too busy bracing himself against the chest. The Bludger was only growing stronger.

"I'll help you with whatever schoolwork you need help with," Emily said, and at the beginnings of a smirk playing on Al's lips, she added, "Whatever class. Wherever. Whenever. Just help me with Quidditch." Sensing her determination, and deciding to make use of this rare opportunity, Albus made the decision that would change the course of his life at Hogwarts forever, and perhaps the rest of his life as well. Sleeping early and waking up late were about to become a thing of Al's past.

Emily liked Al. He and Jo had the same problem, but Al's quick fix was through Quidditch, and Emily had no idea how to help Jo. All she had to do to help Al was convince him to join the Hufflepuff Quidditch team; convince him he was good enough on his own. Then, maybe, Al would stop comparing himself to his brother...and his father. Jo, on the other hand...getting a Quaffle through a hoop would not fix that problem. Emily was still working on that one. She decided she'd start on helping Al.

Just as Emily and Al shook hands to seal the deal, Scorpius was knocked of the chest as the lid flipped open. Out flew a wayward Bludger, and quick as a flash, Al got on his broom and kicked up into the air. He was fast enough to intercept the Bludger in its path, and with an "oomph", caught the offending sphere in his stomach, wrapping his arms around it securely. In record time, he flew down, strapped in the Bludger, and shut the lid.

"Better get this back to Madame Hooch soon," he said, wiping his brow. Emily swooned.

* * *

><p><em>5th Year<em>

"Anyway, so Lies is ditching Calasanz's sorry arse soon," Emily continued. Al looked up from the history paper he was writing. Emily continued without even pausing for breath: "Did you know that virgin blood, y'know for Dark magic, doesn't actually mean the blood of a virgin? It means blood that hasn't been used for rituals yet."

"The restricted section is restricted for a reason, Em," Al began. It took a while, but Al'd eventually gotten used to Emily switching topics just like that. He shook his head, "You think we could move Quidditch practise to tomorrow?" Al asked hopefully.

"But I'm way behind on dodging Bludgers..." Emily looked up at him pleadingly. He hated her puppy dog eyes; hated them with the fire of a thousand hotly burning suns.

"We were out really late just last night, and besides, you wouldn't have to dodge them so much if your Beaters did a better job," Al felt sorry for bad mouthing the two Ravenclaw Beaters. They were good people, just second-rate Beaters. Though, to be fair, being a Beater was a frightening job, Al reasoned to himself.

"Is this because of OWLs? Because you know I'll help with whatever-"

"No, I just...I've got...prioooor arrangements..." Al was a terrible liar.

"You really think you can get away that easily?" Emily narrowed her eyes at him.

"You know, friends don't tell their friends that, normally," Al slumped onto his half finished paper.

"Friends don't normally avoid friends," Emily countered.

"Friends don't normally keep their friends out until dawn just to practise the same manoeuvre over and over again"

"Friends _would _normally stay out until dawn just to help their friends practise a _very complicated _move until they've got it just right," Emily leaned back with a self-satisfied grin. "You must really like me, then." Al blushed furiously and rolled his eyes.

"You've definitely got redhead blood in you. Look at that face," Emily teased.

"Oh, shut it. I hate you," Al glared at her, but by then, his entire face had flushed scarlet. He watched, incredulously, as a grinning Emily leaned across the table to press her cool palms against his cheeks.

"Ah, so nice and warm," she sighed contentedly. "Like an open fire on Christmas eve."

"Merlin, your hands are like ice," Al said, though he didn't move away. His face really was hot from the blushing.

"I know. I really did need something to warm them with. I was experimenting on something for potions, but I must've mishandled an ingredient, because my hands and feet are freezing...but _just _my hands and feet?" Al laughed at her earnest wide eyes.

"What? I needed something stronger than coffee," Emily finally pulled back from Al's face.

"You were planning on _drinking _the stuff?!" Al exclaimed.

"Sh!" Al jumped in surprise. Madame Pince had been right behind him. She was on one of her rounds, scouring the library for wayward students using the less popular sections as trysting places. After all, it was Valentine's day.

"No, I...Okay, yes," Emily conceded, "but I made sure all the ingredients were easily digestible, and I was going to drink it outside the hospital wing."

"That does not make anything better," Al laughed again. He couldn't help it. Emily was always so earnest, even when she was being ridiculous; _especially_ when she was being ridiculous. "Your plans are terrible."

"Hey! My plans are the most reasonable I can come up with, given the circumstances," she asserted.

"I'm sure," Al said, "I'm also sure the circumstances are never good," he grinned at her.

"And yet you go along with it anyway," she said, shrugging. She slid his history paper towards her and went over it.

"Well, Jo asked me to watch out for you, and Lies threatened my owl...so..."

"And I asked you to watch out for Jo, and yet here you are,"

"Okay, first off, this paper's due tomorrow. Second, Scorp's got that covered," Al smiled conspiratorially at Emily, but the brunette just shrugged.

"Huh, Jo can take care of herself," Emily said, reconsidering. She thought about how much worse than her Scorpius Malfoy was at Quidditch and decided Jo would do a better job watching out for the boy than the other way around. Al gave a surprised laugh that came out sounding like a bark. He immediately smothered the laugh with both hands, head whipping around to see if anyone heard.

"That's what Jo told me about you when she saw me passed out in the common room the first time," Al said once he was sure no one had heard. Emily imagined the scene and laughed carelessly.

"It's not that funny," Al said, though he smiled too.

"Well, in my head, I was imagining you passed out face first on the floor, so..." she continued to laugh. Then, she went back to his paper and began crossing things off, and writing comments, snickering occasionally.

"Not too far off, actually," Al said, kicking Emily lightly under the table.

"I swear, Albus Severus, if this turns into another kicking match, we'll get kicked out of the library _again_", Emily warned. She knew Al hated his full name.

" Well, Lou Emily Dionisia, if you keep teasing me, I'm going to keep using your shoulder as an armrest in front of people," Al threatened. Emily looked up at him darkly. She reached over and flicked the bridge of his glasses. Her full name, she believed, was far uglier than Albus Severus could ever be. Besides, why in the world would she ever need three given names?

"Low blow," Al grumbled, readjusting his glasses. He nudged Emily's leg again. She returned his paper.

"Your timeline's a mess," she said, ignoring his kick. She'd get back at him later; when he'd least expect it. She was getting good at aiming that Quaffle.

"I really do have something later. Can we reschedule practise?" Al saw the surprise on her face. "I do have a life beyond schoolwork and helping you, you know," Emily felt a strange sting at the comment.

"Oh, of course. I-I'll get by," Emily said, covering up her surprise with an easy smile.

"That's good. Now, about this timeline..." Al scanned Emily's thorough comments on his paper. Emily wondered what Al had planned for later, but pushed the nagging curiosity to the back of her head. It wasn't an easy task, given Emily's naturally curious nature, but for some reason, she felt she shouldn't annoy Al about this one. But it wasn't lost on Emily what day it was that day.

* * *

><p><em>That's the last of the introductory chapters! If you like this so far, please leave a review :) Thank you!<em>


	5. Hogsmeade I

**The Sloppy Snog with the Slytherin Seeker**

"Malfoy, you're tall, get on the stool," Lies said absently as she scanned the large room, occasionally ticking things off on her clipboard.

"Yes, ma'am," Scorpius obliged, reaching up to dust away the cobwebs. Betty Thorpe, who was Seeker for Slytherin, came over to hold the stool steady.

Ever since Weasley's Wizard Wheezes opened up a branch at Hogsmeade in Dominique Weasley's fifth year, she and her friends would throw the occasional party in the joke shop's back room. A year later, Lies was now in charge of organising the event, something she did as a favour for her older friend, but which she actually enjoyed. Lies loved being in charge and seeing her plans to fruition. It was only icing on the cake that this would only make her more popular.

"Dom, you sure about your cousins?" Lies asked the strawberry blonde clearing up the crates of merchandise.

"Stop worrying about Fred and James. They always deliver, don't they?" Dom shrugged at Lies. "I mean, I haven't got a clue how they do it, but they _always _manage to bring drinks, so..."

"Alright," Lies sighed. "Jo, could you set up my sound system?"

"All set up. Party Mix 1?" Jo replied, crouching in front of Lies' iPod plugged into the speakers. This was the biggest reason Dom's parties were far more popular than those at the Room of Requirement.

"Albus, that's lopsided," said Emily, who was steadying the ladder Al sat on.

"It doesn't matter, I think," said Al. He was putting up lightly coloured cloth strips to dull the harsh fluorescent lighting.

"It doesn't have to be perfect, but it can't look that sloppy either," chastised Emily. Al obliged, frowning. All around the large room, Lies and Dom's little helpers were scattered to clear up space, and clean the dust that had settled since the last party, which was before Christmas break. There hadn't been a party last Hogsmeade weekend, because it was the Valentine's weekend.

"Potter!" Al jumped, nearly falling off the ladder. He was relieved to see that Lies' sharp cry was not for him, but for his brother, who armed himself with a smug grin.

"You asked, and Fred and I delivered," he announced, gesturing to the large stack of beverages in all shapes and sizes that Fred was carting in. "That's only the first batch. No one's going back to Hogwarts tonight," he gave Fred a first bump.

"What's this?" Lies asked, as she inspected their cargo. She'd noticed a suspicious unlabelled crate.

"That," James paused for effect, "is, what I believe, muggles call 'hooch'. It's vile...but effective, just like a certain little princess I know," said James, tapping a knuckle under Lies' chin. Lies only frowned.

"Good enough," she spun away and scribbled on her clipboard.

"You're a little bit upset, aren't you, that you haven't seen your little sister on her first Hogsmeade trip?" Scorpius asked Jo. Betty moved the stool nearer to Jo before Scorpius got up to dust some more. Jo was setting up a large table for the drinks.

"Well, I better not see her here, that's for sure," she looked up and pointed a bottle opener at Scorpius. "She is _far _too young," Scorpius only laughed. Jo started Party Mix 1, everything was cleared away, and in record time, the party was in full swing.

* * *

><p>"Lily. Luna. Potter. You cannot be here," Albus pointed a stern finger at his little sister. She was in her 3rd year and in Gryffindor with Cameron Sharma. In fact, the two were right at that moment demanding entrance into the party. "Emily!" Albus called behind him. Immediately, Emily appeared at the entrance.<p>

"Cam!" she gasped, "Your sisters will kill you. Charlie and Jo are in there, right now, and when they see you-," Emily paused ominously.

"Emily, please! You don't have to tell them!" Cam begged.

"Please, Albus. I won't drink. I promise!" Lily caught Cam's drift and began the shameless grovelling.

"Are you joking? I'm not spending tonight babysitting," Al scoffed.

"Emily, we'll help you dodge Bludgers!" cried Lily, and Cam nodded in agreement. Emily pretended to consider it.

"Em..." Al narrowed his eyes at her. The Ravenclaw had a way of ruining his plans, and his plan for the night was to get totally, utterly smashed.

"Yeah, no," she shook her head at the 3rd years. "Look, give it a couple of years. And anyway, as soon as we're out of Hogwarts, who d'you think Dom and Lies are going to pass the banner to?" The girls' eyes widened.

"Us?" Cameron asked, and Emily winked conspiratorially as Al slowly shut the door at the two gawking girls. With the door shut, Al lifted his hand for a self-satisfied high five. Emily obliged.

* * *

><p>Scorpius stumbled around the room, excited at the prospect of telling Jo the good news. Summer internship! The Daily Prophet! If only he could find her before the mass of other drunken students suffocated him to death. He spotted Emily trying to convince a wildly dancing Albus to put the bottle down. She had to keep dodging his flailing arms.<p>

"Emily!" Scorpius shouted, but the music drowned out his voice. He shoved his way to where the pair was. Scorpius thought he saw Emily mouth "thank, heavens" as soon as she saw him.

"Help! Al!" Emily shouted into his ear. Scorp shook his head, mouthing "sorry". Al would have to wait.

"Jo!" Scorp shouted into Emily's ear. Emily's eyes widened and she bit her lip. For all she teased Al, Emily wasn't a very good liar either. She pointed somewhere in the crowd, but of course, it was too dark to be helpful.

"Scorp!" Al cried, finally noticing him. "Have _you _seen Jo?!" he asked, eyes bugging out.

"Shut up!" Emily shouted into Al's ear.

"What?!" Al asked, honestly confused. The rest of the conversation wasn't loud enough for Scorpius to hear, but he did catch the word "hot". His brow creased with frustration as he scanned the area Emily'd pointed at. Where was Jo? She would be so happy for him when she heard. And then, he found her.

Jo Sharma was dancing with Betty Thorpe, and that wouldn't have been so shocking if they hadn't been dancing so...provocatively. And then the snogging began. Scorpius couldn't help but stare in shock. Suddenly, the room was too hot, and it seemed he'd forgotten how to breathe. He felt a hand on his arm, and jumped. He looked down and saw Emily's concerned eyes. Beside her, Al was ogling the two girls, as were a few other people. Mostly boys, Scorpius noted with irritation. Emily backhanded Al's chest and the boy frowned at her then continued his arrhythmic flailing.

"Scorp!" Emily called to him.

"It's okay!" Scorpius shouted in her ear. He just needed some fresh air, that was all. Scorpius barrelled through the crowd to the joke shop's back door, which was the only way in or out of the party. As soon as the door was shut behind him, Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief into the frigid air.

* * *

><p>"Malfoy," Scorpius jumped at the amused greeting. The only other person outside was a tipsy James Potter who was leaning lazily against the wall.<p>

"Potter," Scorpius gave a nod. The charms the girls had placed around the shop worked perfectly. Everything outside was still and quiet.

"Alright, no. You're my brother's best mate, for Merlin's sake. Call me James. Can I call you Scorpius?" James stuck a hand out, which Scorpius shook in agreement. "Alright, Scorpius, what are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," said Scorpius watching his upperclassman carefully. James raised his hands in resignation and Scorpius moved beside him to lean against the wall.

"Lies kicked me out. I was bothering her a little more than usual," James admitted.

"She can do that?"

"Normally, no, but things are a bit...odd at the moment. You?"

"My..." Scorpius cleared his throat. "Jo-Y'know Jo Sharma?"

"Of course I do. Lies never shuts up about Jo, and that girl who drags Al around...Emily," James nodded. "So...your Jo Sharma...?" the older boy prodded.

"No, she's not-," Scorpius sighed ruefully as James laughed at him. "You know Betty Thorpe, of course."

"Snogged her?"

"How'd you know?" Scorpius asked in surprise.

"Because Betty's gay, and you're having Jo Problems," James shrugged. "I may or may not fancy a high-strung, ambitious dragon lady who I also sometimes hate, and you _definitely _fancy your gay best friend. I think you have it worse."

"I don't...fancy her. I just wish she'd told me. I mean, all of last year, and even earlier this year, she made me believe she'd been after Casper Larkin-"

"Who's dating her sister," James interrupted, wide-eyed.

"How did you know?"

"I like to keep up with current events"

"Alright, well..." Scorpius hesitated.

"Go on. I haven't got anything better to do out here, anyway," James grinned. Scorpius frowned at how lightly he seemed to be taking his personal problems. James rolled his eyes. "Merlin. Alright, I'm interested, and I'm not just listening for my entertainment. Now, go on."

"I mean, she cried about him, when she found out he was interested in Charlie," Scorpius saw the confusion on James' face, "Her older sister. Anyway, she cried, and then got over him, but that's not that unusual for her. She's an easy-going person, I thought."

"She could be bi," James shrugged. He smirked at Scorpius' hopeful face. He would've pointed it out, when the door suddenly opened.

"James, I'm sorry, you can come back in now," said Lies apologetically. Scorpius noticed the smirk leave James' face.

"About time. I'm freezing," he moved to enter.

"I'm sorry," Lies said again, surprising both James and Scorpius.

"Yeah, me too," said James, pausing in front of Lies at the entrance. They were so close, neither dared to breath or they might accidentally brush against each other.

"I know. You've said," Lies finally moved aside as James disappeared into the party. Her gaze fell on Scorpius. "Did he say anything?"

"You kicked him out. What happened?"

"He kept embarrassing me in front of Matty. Spilled some...something on me, but I've cleared that up now," Lies shrugged, though she looked sorrier than Scorp had ever seen her. "Why are you here?"

"Jo," Scorpius said, "I was telling James."

"And he was just...listening? He didn't...say anything mean or...?" Lies asked. She felt a mix of protectiveness over Jo and a strange anxious need for Scorpius to confirm whether or not James Potter was the prick she believed him to be.

"Yeah, just listened," Scorp rushed, "So, you know about Jo, then?"

"You better talk to her yourself," Lies said. She was about to return to the party, then turned back, "But you better be careful what you say, or-"

"I know, I know. You'll sic your attack dogs on me, and Emily will set my scalp on fire during lunch," Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"No, Scorp, if you're not careful, you'll lose the first friend you've ever had," and with that, Lies shut the door, leaving Scorpius in the cold March air.

* * *

><p><em>I gave in and decided to publish another chapter anyway :( PLEASE REVIEW OMG<em>


	6. Hogsmeade II

**The Curious Cat's Careless Comrades**

_Right before the Party_

The joke shop had just closed and the back room fixed up for the party. The girls were behind the cashier's counter inside the dim shop with the curtains drawn. The younger students and those not going to the party would be returning to Hogwarts. Those attending would be on their way. Lies, Dom, and their friends were now changing into party clothes, stumbling into dresses and passing around each others' heels. Emily's paper bag, enchanted with a near unlimited storage space, was a big hit. Emily, herself, was finished changing. She rushed to the back room at Al's call. Already, the back room was full of other students arriving.

"Ow! That's my foot!," cried a voice from behind Jo. She'd stood up from strapping some heels on and backed into somebody.

"I'm sorry!," she apologised, trying to see who it was in the dark.

"...Jo?" came the voice.

"Betty?"

"Oh, well then, all is forgiven," as Jo's eyes adjusted to the dimness, she made out Betty Thorpe's smirking face. She felt herself flush at how close the taller athletic girl was.

"Um, okay," Jo managed to squeak.

"Yeah, except who's going to want to dance with me now, what with my injured foot and all?" Jo caught on quickly, though it did help that Betty was watching her earnestly.

"Oh, well, I guess it's only fair that I dance with you, then, since it's my fault," Jo replied. This was what she needed, a welcome distraction from all that one-sided pining.

"Ahem," Jo jumped at Lies' voice, and Betty laughed, "If you'll excuse me, I have a party to check on," Lies said as she passed between them to the back door. "Go get 'em, Honey Badger", Lies whispered, winking at Jo through the dark.

"I'll cache that promise in later, alright?" Betty whispered, dropping her head closer to Jo's. Without waiting for a response, she left Jo trying to calm herself in the dark.

"Jo?" it was just Jo and Dom in the room now, "Betty's fun and one of my best friends, but she's...not exactly the stick-to-one type."

"It's just a dance, Dom," Jo shrugged, though she wasn't sure if Dom could see her. The older girl sighed.

"Alright, but Betty Thorpe has broken many-a girls' hearts," Dom singsong-ed.

"It's just dancing," Jo asserted, then reconsidered, "and _hopefully _some snogging, but that's it."

* * *

><p>It was well into the party, and James Potter had found himself in yet another mind-numbing conversation. Though it's possible his mind was numb from the copious amounts of alcohol he'd consumed. Still, James was anything but a lightweight, and scanned the crowd for a new cluster of people to talk to. Normally, he'd be the life of the party, but things were a little less than normal these days. For the life of him, there was only one person, one god-awful, bossy, overconfident tiny girl, he wanted to talk to. This was especially frustrating when he <em>had <em>already spoken to her, and she'd promptly abandoned him for Matty Calasanz. And here he was now; stuck in a conversation with some random Ravenclaw upperclassman he didn't even recognise telling a rapt Scorpius Malfoy how to apply for a summer internship for the Daily Prophet. Who talks about that stuff at a party, anyway? James excused himself from the conversation, and his tipsy searching gaze promptly stumbled across Lies Wang.

"Matty!" James called out, purposely ignoring Lies.

"James!" roared the Slytherin Quidditch captain, drunk already, and thumping him on the back.

"What's that you were saying the other day? About how Newark's got the best arse, and Stone's got the best boobs, but Lies, over here, has the best combination of both?" Matty threw his head back with laughter, while his friends watched with shock, from him to Lies and back. Lies glared at the back of James's head.

"Potter!," Lies warned, shouting to be heard above the music.

"Lieselotte," James replied coolly, turning to her.

"Babe, come on! It's a joke! Can't you take a bloody compliment?!" Matty was still laughing, though he clumsily tried to placate his stony-faced girlfriend. Lies gently stepped away from his groping hands.

"Excuse us," Lies grinned apologetically at the other people who made up the circle. She motioned for James to follow her as she walked to the door.

"Out," she commanded, as soon as they reached the door.

"Lies-"

"Don't!," Lies turned to check who was watching, then she pulled him down by the collar and brought her mouth to his ear. "_What _do you think you're doing?"

"Getting my I-told-you-so," this was not the fun, teasing James Lies knew. She grabbed the bottle from his hand before he could take another swig.

"If you can't behave, you can't be here," she hissed. James grabbed at the bottle. Lies retaliated, and before either could react, the contents sloshed onto Lies' dress.

"Shit. Lies, I'm sorry," James tried to use the tail of his button-down to wipe at the mess, but Lies backed away. She pressed her palm to her forehead.

"James..." the look she gave him was pained, and he immediately felt sorry for everything, the dress, Matty, his behaviour. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm sorry, Lies. I honestly don't know," and he was telling the truth. He'd been trying, for years now, to be her friend, but she seemed to have only one prevailing opinion of him. He was just a nuisance. "I just wanted to help," she marched back to him, tiptoeing to hiss into his face.

"You think you can just show up all Knight-in-Shining-Armour, and what? Save the day? And I'm the pitiful fool? You're so...Merlin! You're so _bloody entitled_, you _privileged prick_," with Lies so close and so unbelievably furious, James seemed to immediately sober up.

"I shouldn't have done what I did," he said, stiffly, "I was just as bad as Calasanz. I won't bother you anymore," he opened the door a little bit, then turned back to Lies, "And I'm sorry about your dress. If it's any consolation, you still look lovely."

* * *

><p>"Help him sober up. I'm clocked out for the night," a tired Emily told Scorpius. Beside her, the burlier of the two Hufflepuff beaters carried a passed out Al bridal style. "You can sit him down beside Scorpius," she told the boy, motioning to Scorpius sitting against the wall of the shop, watching them lethargically. The boy obliged.<p>

"Thanks, Gabe," said Emily, not noticing the way the boy – Gabe – lingered by the door.

"Em, I was hoping, since you don't have to babysit Potter anymore, you might wanna dance? With me?"

"Oh," Emily bit her lip. She never knew what to say. "Maybe next time, Gabe? I'm...I'm exhausted, and I was hoping to talk to my friends."

"Oh, okay, then. Sure...," Gabe replied, returning to the party. Just as he was about to shut the door, Jo slipped past him, Betty in tow. They let the door close behind them.

"Emily!," cried a flushed and giddy Jo. "Why'd you do that? He was _fit. _Did you see those arms?" Jo asked Betty, looking up. The older girl nodded, just as giddy as Jo.

"Like I said, I am clocked out for the night," Emily grinned with satisfaction, stretching her arms wide, and taking a deep breath. "And I _was _looking for you and Lies. Pretty much how I spotted Al passing out _while _swapping spit with Gracie Newark," Emily pulled a face.

"Newark. Good job, Al," Jo nodded appreciatively at Al's unconscious figure.

"Except for the passing out bit," Betty clucked and shook her head. Emily noted her hand in Jo's, and then her gaze flicked down to Scorpius who was openly staring at the same thing.

"Betty, could you go look for Lies? I'd really like to talk to her and Jo. Please?" Emily asked as nicely as she could, hoping she didn't sound rude.

"It's a best friends thing?" Betty asked, looking down at Jo to include her in the question. Both Emily and Jo nodded. "Alright, I'll just..." Betty motioned to the door, and with Jo's nod, left them to look for Lies.

"You two need to talk?" Emily asked Jo, who nodded soberly. "I'll be waiting up front," Emily instructed, walking off to the front of the shop.

"Scorp..." Jo began. At the sound of her voice, Scorpius stood up and brought her into an embrace. "You're freezing!"

"Yeah, it's a bit cold out here," Scorp said, chuckling.

"So, you know"

"I'm sorry I'm reacting so horribly. I was just...surprised," Scoprius finally released her, and she watched his face cautiously.

"I would've told you eventually. Tonight was a surprise for me too," she smiled up at him sheepishly, then brought her hands up to warm his ruddy cheeks.

"I'm...just wondering? What about Casper Larkin?", he let her warm him, then brought her hands down, needing to concentrate.

"I liked him. A lot. I'm still getting over him, honestly. It's harder because he's actually a pretty good guy, and he and Charlie are so disgustingly adorable," she laughed ruefully.

"And Betty Thorpe?" Scorpius watched her face shifting expressions as she thought. He still hadn't stepped back, though he'd let his arms fall to his sides.

"I like her too. It's not a serious thing. I mean, before today, I hadn't even known she was interested, but I like her," Jo blushed. Something in Scorp's chest flared, warming him up as he saw how happy Jo seemed.

"James was right," Scorpius mumbled, smiling to himself.

"James Potter? Al's brother?"

"He said you might be bi, but I thought that was wishful thinking," Scorp shrugged, then flushed when he realised the implications of what he'd said. Jo didn't notice.

"You told him?"

"I'm sorry, Jo. I shouldn't have, but I was confused, and venting, and just a tiny tiny bit tipsy, maybe?" Scorp rushed to apologise.

"Oh no,"

"Jo, I'm sorry. I had no right,"

"No, it's not just that. The others inside, at the party. They saw too, didn't they? They'll spread it around. They'll tell their parents. They're parents will tell _my _parents!"

"Jo, I'm sorry," Scorp didn't know what else to say.

"It's alright," Jo sighed. There was nothing to be done, but hope that no one would care enough. "Just...you _can't _do that, alright? You can't out people for them," Jo pointed a stern finger at him. Scorpius nodded, avoiding her chastising gaze.

"I would've told you. Eventually. I mean, even Lies and Emily found out by accident, you know?"

"Really? Can I ask?" Scorpius looked up.

"They caught me with the girl next door over Christmas break," Jo laughed.

"Look at you, Miss Popular," Scorp teased. Jo rolled her eyes.

"Hmm, let's check my track record, shall we? There was Wells from spin the bottle last year, my neighbour who goes to boarding school and was probably just bored over break, and Betty Thorpe. Wow, I am _quite _the heartbreaker, aren't I?" Jo replied, playing along. Just then, Lies stepped out, pausing when she noticed Scorp and Jo in the middle of something. She cast an inquiring look at Al passed out against the wall.

"Lies, Emily's waiting for us out front," Jo told her. She glanced back up at Scorpius. "Get back in there, alright, Mr. Popular? You've got a room full of adoring fans just waiting to dance with you. Clara Stone, in particular, keep her away from Betty for me?" Scorp laughed.

"I'll see what I can do. Can't just leave Al here," Jo gave his hand a squeeze before following Lies to the front of the establishment.

* * *

><p>Emily had been freezing her tush off on the cold stone steps of the joke shop, troubling thoughts swirling round and round. She just about jumped when she heard the footsteps and voices approaching.<p>

"You two seemed...okay," Emily recognised Lies' voice.

"Why wouldn't we be? He's one of my closest friends," that was Jo, and judging by the subject matter, Emily guessed Lies had overheard Jo and Scorpius talking.

"He seemed a bit torn up a while ago," Lies again, as the pair rounded the corner.

"Emily," Jo greeted her. Lies immediately turned her focus to Emily.

"Hey, Em. It's a little too early for a post-party run down, isn't it?" Lies asked. Emily stood up and faced them, all seriousness.

"I fancy Al," she announced.

* * *

><p><em>Well, duh. So, not much of a cliffhanger, I guess :) Now watch me shamelessly beg for reviews: PLEASE<em>


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